Fish lure container



Dec. 12, 1944. O JR 2,364,807

msn LURE CONTAINER Filed Oct. s, 1945 INVENTUR .[ml/re/zce JZSO/b, I.

' ATT'YS.

Patented Dec. 12, 1944 FFI' E v 2,364,807 FISH LURE CONTAINER Lawrence Nelson, Jr., Chicago, Ill., assignor of one-half to S. R. Pletz, Chicago, 111.

Application October 9, 1943, Serial No. 505,594

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved container for lures or artificial bait used by fishermen. I

Lures of the type here under consideration commonly are made of wood paintedv to simulate live bait or are made of bright metal to attract fish by glittering reflection of light. At least one fish-hook extends laterally from the body. Usually there are two or more three-pronged hooks suspended flexibly from suitable brackets or eyes spaced along the length of th body.

It is not satisfactory to carry a number of such lures loosely in a simple receptacle. The hooks become tangled with each other; the body finishes are gouged by th hooks; the body finishes are damaged by the lure lbodies rubbing and striking against each other or rubbing or striking against the receptacle walls, especially while the box is transported or being handled roughly;

the lures become massed in, disorderly array often with some concealed entirely. A fisherman in selecting and removing a lure from the tangled mass must exercise special care to. avoid injury by the haphazardly positioned hooks.

It is one object of my invention to provide,

a container that will obviate such disadvantages. I propose to provide a container construction that will prevent both entanglement of the hooks and of the lure bodies damaging movement. It is contemplated that the lures will be maintained in a desired order and that the container will open for a full view of the stock of lures and for easy removal of any lures selected.

One feature of the invention is that when the container is opened, the hooks of the lures are all surrounded by walls to protect the users hand, no points of hooks extending into the compartment in which the lure bodies are stored. The fisherman may rapidly select and remove a lure from such containertwith no special care required to avoid personal injury. a I

It is often desirable for convenience to place such a lure container inside a larger tackle box with other gear, especially for transportation to 5 4; and

regard, a feature Of my invention is the concept of having the Walls of the larger tackle boxperform the function of the removed walls of the container.

While in many practices of my invention the design of the lure container itself isrelied upon to limit movement'of lures stored therein, in

other practices I have the further objector" providing a. suitable restraining 'means effective to secure the lures adequately, regardless of the position of the lure container.

These various objects and advantages ofmy invention together with further objects will be apparent in the detailed description t follow taken withthe accompanying drawing.

' In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a Preferred form of my container with portions broken away to reveal the interior construction; Y

Fig. 2 is a fragmentarysection taken as indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1'; I

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of my con tainer mounted in a largertackle box, the view being taken as indicated by the line 3- 3 of Fig.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View indicated by the line 4-4 ofFig. 3. v I

In the drawing I show by way of example various forms of fish lures that may be stored in my container. A typical lure, such'as the plug taken as generally designated ;l0 in Fig. 1 or the plug and from a fishing locale. A further object of I 'my invention is to provide a lure container that may be readily adapted for incorporation in a larger tackle box. To this end the preferred form of my container has walls that may be removed to convert the container into something of an open tray, the open tray being normally retained in fixed position in the tackle box and being readily removabl to display the various lures in convenient and orderly array. In this generally designated II in Fig. 2, has a body 12 that is of generally circular cross-sectionalconfiguration. On thefront end of the body is an attachment eye I 3 mounted on a metal lip Id. The body carries a rearward.threee-prongedihook l5 (Fig. 1) and a forward three-pronged hook I 1 (Fig. 2 Each .of the two hooks has an eye l8 linked with a complementary eye 20 on the body to permit universal-pivotal movement of-the hook. It may be noted in-Fig. 2 that the eye 20 on the underside of the body 12 extends downwardly from a smallmetal bracket 2|. 1

The lure generally designated 22 inFigs. 1 and 3 has a jointedlbody 23 withtwo three-pronged hooks 25 and 26 mounted in the described manher at longitudinally spaced points on the under-e side of the body'and has a thirdhook 21- mount- I 7 ed on the rear end of the body.

4 A third example is a lure generally designated 28 in the form of a'spo'on comprising a bright metal body 30 with a single-prong hook 3| :"and

. snap latch may comprise erally designated 33 in the drawing comprises a box-like structure having two rigid end or side walls 35, a rigid side or back wall 36 and a rigid bottom wall 31. While such a structure may be made of metal or any suitable material it is here illustrated as fabricated from relatively thick non-metal panels, the bottom wall 31 being set in ajgroove 38 formed in the other three walls.

The described assembly is open on a first or top side and on an adjacent second or front side and provision is made to normally close these two sides r in any suitable manner. For example, I may close the top with a movable wall or panel 40 thatis guided in its opening and closing movements by grooves 4| in the end walls 35 and in its closed position extends into a groove 42 in the back wall 36. In like manner I may close the front side of the container with a movable wall or panel 43 to slide in vertical grooves 45 formed in the side mentary snap element (not shown) on the front panel 43. v

I prefer the described closure arrangement not only because it is simpleand structurally efficient but'also because it permits complete removal of the two panels 40 and 43 to convert the closed container into a convement open tray providing maximum accessibility.-

tice I find that a slot width of approximately onequarter inch, or slightly more, is satisfactory.

In my preferred construction I brace or reinforce at least some of the shelf elements by vertical walls 51 parallel with the slots-53, the vertical walls constituting partitions to divide the lower hook-receiving space 52 into individual hook compartments 58. Such partitions serve as positive means to prevent entanglement of hooks depending from adjacent bodies.

The manner in which the described container serves its purpose may be readily understood from the above description. When the container is closed as indicated inFig. '1, with the various lures resting on the shelf means, the lure bodies normally are cradled in the slots 53. The cradling function of the slots and the function of the slots in engaging the hook brackets2l are sufliclent to maintain the lure bodies in place under normal conditions .of handling and transportation. Forward vandrearward longitudinal movement of the lure bodies, of course, is'limited by the forward lid panel 43-and the back wall 36. The vertical dimension of the upperstorage space 5] relative to the vertical dimension of the aver. age lurebody is preferably such that when the body of the lure is thrown upward or when the lure container is turned upside down, the bodyof the lure will strike the. upper lid '40 before the sharp points .of .the lure hooks strike against the undersurfaces of the shelf elements .50. When the fisherman is ready to use the lures in the container he removes the two lid panels It is contemplated that the interior of the .coni 1 tainer will be divided by suitable shelf means into at least one storage space for lure bodies with an adjacent storage space for the lure hooks- :In the present simple and compact arrangement a single shelf means in the form of a plurality of shelf elements 50 divides the interior of the .container into anupper body .storage space designated 5| in Fig. .2 and .a lower hook-receiving space designated 52, The shelf elements 50 are positioned in a common of the slots being at the-front side of .the con-p tainer. Preferably theendsof the shelf elements 50 are rounded toform flared entrances to the 1 plane and are spaced apart to form a plurality of slots53, the entrances slots as shown in Fig. .1. Such shelf elements may be integral parts of .a shelf panel generally des nated 5.5 that is set .in grooves 5 in the end walls 35. p I 1 It is important to note in 1 that the slots 53 .are of substantial length or of length comparable to the length of the fishlures and, to note in Figs. 2 and eithat the slots are of substantial width to form cradles for the rounded undersides of the bodies of lures IB, 'H and '22. The slots are I t of sul'licient width to have a definite tendency to center the rounded bodies and to limit lateral movement of the-bodies. In my preferred construct on it is further contemplated that the slots 53 will be dimensioned in width to receive the small underside hock brackets 21 and to engage the opposite sides of the hook brackets las .a further expedient for 'minimizinglateral movement of the lure -bodies. Suchiengagement of theihoo'k brackets by the slot walls has special utility for tending to hold a jointed rbodyxsudh :as the body 23 h in longitudinal alignment with the slot. In prac- 4,0 and. to convert thecontainer into'an open tray, with all of the lure bodies in plain sight and in orderly array. vIt will be noted in Fig. v1 that the various hooks are enclosed in the hook compartments :58 andthat the fisherman may reach into the open tray to grasp the lures without danger of injury.

The manner in which the described lure con-' tainer may be employe'd in a tackle box may be understood by reference to Figs. 3 and 4. The container with the two'lid panels 40 and "43 re moved may be mounted in the tackle box 60 in the position shown in'Fig/3 so that one of the rigid walls 6| of the tackle box closes the side of the container usually closed by the lid panel 40 and the hinged lid 62 of the tackle box .closes the side of thecontainer corresponding-to the lid panel 43. The means for removably supporting the' lure container 33 in the described position may comprise a pair of'angularbrackets 63' mounted on the opposite side walls 65 of the tackle box. In

Fig. 4 the lure container is shown asbeing of :a length to nest inside the tackle box.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4 I provide small hooks 166 on the opposite side walls 35 of the container that may be used if desired to anchor the ends of a rubber band 61 or like elastic'means for pressing the lure bodies'againstthe shelf elements. Such a yielding retaining means is especially useful when the lure container is normally carried in the position shown in Fig. '3. ,If the various lure bodiesare distributed progressively in accord with their cross sectional-.dimensions, the rubber band Bl will be effective for retaining all of thelur-e bodies 4 ranging from relatively thick bodies to relatively thin :bodies as indicated in Fig. 4.

The container 33 that is stored in the tackle box inythe manner indicated in Figs. .3 andfl constitutes a readily removable open tray reouiri-ng no manipulation of lid panels.- -When,this open tray is removed from the tackle box the therefore my appended claims are to be construedas broadly as permittedby the prior art.

I claim:

1. Means for containing fish lures having elongated bodies and hooks pending laterally from thebodies, said means comprising walls forming a container, a plurality of shelf elements arranged in a common plane in said container to define a body-receiving space on one side of the plane and a hook-receiving space on the other side of the plane, said shelf elements being spaced apart to form hook-receiving slots, and walls both bracing at least some of said shelf elements individually and partitioning said hook-receiving space to prevent entanglement of hooks of adjacent lures.

2. Means for containing fish lures having bodies of generally circular cross-sectional configuration with hooks connected to the bodies at points spaced longitudinally thereof, said means comprising walls forming a container, and shelf means in said container separating a storage space for the lure bodies on one side of the shelf means from a storage space for the hooks on the other side of the shelf means, said shelf means being formed with slots to clear the hook shanks, said slots being of suificient longitudinal extent to cradle the curved undersides of the lure bodies.

3. Means for containing fish lures having bodies of generally circular cross-sectional configuration with hooks connected to the bodies at points spaced longitudinally thereof, said means comprising walls forming a container, shelf means in said container separating a storage space for the lure bodies on one side of the shelf means from a storage space for the hooks on the other side of the shelf means, said shelf means being formed with slots to clear the hook shanks, said slots being of sufficient longitudinal extent to cradle the curved undersides of the lure bodies, and a plurality of wall elements in at least one of said spaces connected to said shelf means and forming partitions between portions of adjacent lures.

4. Means for containing fish lures having elongated bodies and hooks pending laterally from the bodies, said means comprising walls forming a container open on a first side and on a second side adjacent thereto, a movable closure wall for said first side of the container, a shelf within said container spaced from said closure wall to defin therewith a storage space for the lure bodies, there being a hook-receiving space in said container. on the opposite side of the shelf, said shelf extending at one edge near to said second side of the container, said sheld having a plurality of slots extending inwardly from said edge to clear said hooks and permit the hooks to extend into said hook-receiving space, and a movable closure wall for said second side of the container to block the entrances of said slots and thereby limit outward movement of said bodies along said slots.

5. Means for containing a plurality of fish lures having elongated bodies and hooks pivotally mounted on connections at points spaced longitudinally on the undersid of each body, said means comprising walls forming a container, and a shelf in said container to support said bodies on one side of the shelf and to form a space on the other side of the shelf to receive said hooks, said shelf having spaced slots extending inward from one edg to clear the shanks ofsaidhooks', said slots being dimensioned in width to'receive said hook connections and to engage-the'hook connections from opposite sides to limit lateral movement of the bodies relative to'the shelf and to tend tomaintain the bodies substantially in I alignment with theislots.

6. Means for containing'a plurality of fish lures having "elongated bodies and hooks pivotally mounted on connections at pointsspaced longitudinally on the underside of each body, said in the tackle box a means comprising walls forming a container, a shelf in said container to support said bodies on one side of the shelf and to form a space on the other side of the shelf to receive said hooks, said shelf having spaced slots 'extending'inward from one edge to clear the shanks of said hooks, and resilient means to yieldingly press said bodies towards said shelf and thereby normally maintain the points of said hooks out of contact with the shelf.

7. Means for containing a plurality of fish lures having elongated bodies and hooks pivotally mounted on connections at points spaced longie tudinally on the underside of each body, said means comprising walls forming a container, a shelf in said container to support said bodies on one side of the shelf and to form a space on the other side of the shelf to receive said hooks, said shelf having spaced slots extending inward from one edge to clear the shanks of said hooks, stretchable elastic means, and means to anchor the opposite ends of said elastic means in said container in position to yieldingly press said bodies towards said shelf.

8. Means for containing a plurality of fish lures having elongated bodies and hooks pivotally mounted on connections at points spaced longitudinally on the underside of each body, said means comprising walls forming a container, a shelf in said container to support said bodies on one side of the shelf and to form a space on the other side of the shelf to receive said hooks, said shelf having spaced slots extending inward from one edge to clear the shanks of said hooks and to form longitudinal cradles for said bodies, and resilient means to yieldingly press said bodies towards said shelf thereby to hold said bodies in said cradles.

9. Means for containing fish lures having elongated bodies and hooks pending laterally from the bodies, said means comprising walls forming a container open on a first side and on a second side adjacent thereto, a plurality of shelf elements in said container in a plane spaced from said first side of the container to form a body-receiving space, and spaced from the opposite side of the container to form a hookreceiving space, said shelf elements being spaced apart to form slots extending inwardly from said second side of the container, and removable closure walls forsaid first and second sides of the container, said container-forming walls being provided with slots to receive and retain said closure walls.

10. Means for use with a tackle box to contain plurality of fish lures having elongated bodies and hooks extending laterally from the bodies, said means comprising walls forming a container open on a first side, which side is to lie against a side wall of the tackle box, and open on a second adjacent side, which second side is to lie adjacent the closed position of the tackle box lid, and a plurality of shelf elements in said container substantially parallel with said adjacent said second side of the container whereby the slot entrances are blocked .by the closed lid of the tackle-box to limit outward movement of the lures. a

11. In a tackle boxhaving a rigid side and a lid adjacent thereto, the combination therewith of means for storing in the tackle box lures having elongated bodies and hooks extending laterwith said open side access)? ally therefrom, said means comprising interconnected walls forming a container open on a first side and a second side adjacent thereto, means to hold said container in said tackle box of the container against said rigid side of the tackle box and said secondside adjacent the closedposition of said lid, and a plurality of shelf elements in said container in a plane spaced from said first side of the container to form a body-receiving space, and spaced {from the opposite side of the container to form a hookreceiving space, said shelf elements defining slots extending inwardly from said second side of the container to clear the shanks of said hooks.

LAWRENCE NELSON, JR. 

